By Mark Hendrickson - Revised 9/23/04

New Definition of “Church” (By Mark Hendrickson - Revised 8/28/07)

Prophetic word for the last 15 – 20 years “God is going to change the face of Christianity in a single generation” It may be a change in our way of doing church that is as radical as it was in Jesus’ day Will we see it and embrace it Or will we resist it as many did in Jesus’ day Transforming a relic The way we have done ‘church’ has been an awesome blessing for centuries It has been a great ‘nest’ for us Thank God for how the church has helped to bring us this far! But we have developed a skewed understanding of ‘church’ Some traditions have lost their effectiveness Many methods of the past are losing their relevance and satisfaction This is a ‘God thing’ Someone has coined the phrase, God has permitted a Holy Discontent in His people. Many times our church attendance is compelled out of feeling socially obligated As a result the ‘life’ in many of our gatherings has ebbed Some dead traditions and programs have robbed saints of real life and growth (That’s not to say that all traditions are dead – many give life) But church has done much of our Christian living for us It thinks for us Tells us what is right and wrong We don’t have to ‘dig deep’ in God Does our work for us Ministries – evangelism, care of poor and sick, etc Eph 4:12 – saints (not leaders) should do the “work of the ministry” Some programs substitute for the need to be personally aggressive and on the offense Jesus, “For since the days of John……and the violent take it by force”. – Matt 11:12 “Holy Discontent” is one of God’s ways of helping us let go of the old and be more eager for the new

Jesus loves the Church and the world He instituted the church and gave His life for the world We must love the church (its people) while adjusting our concepts of its traditions But not be ‘owned’ by it Our identity is not in our church – it is in Jesus We are Christ-ians We must love the world But not be ‘owned’ by it Someone has said, “The world is my parish” Got to go out where the world is ‘Church’ is only touching a very small percentage of the world around us Suggestion: Develop relationships in 5 - 10 churches Bless everything that God is doing in their gatherings Give blessing like ‘it’s going out of style’ Regarding blessing: there are no ‘off limits’ Love (fruits of Spirit) – “Against such there is no law” – Gal 5:22, 23 Almost no one will resist you loving them Everyone loves to be loved and blessed Give your heart fully Be on the aggressive / offensive But no one has the right to ‘own’ your heart Nor do you have the right to give them ‘ownership’ of your heart 2 Jesus is the only rightful King of our hearts

Suggestion: Develop a circle of real friendships in the world that truly like to hang out together How big are your spiritual ‘arms’ of care and compassion How big is your heart of love for weak, fallen and hurting people There’s a big world out there Have to go to them Be equally comfortable in the church or the world Jesus was a friend of sinners He wasn’t owned by sin or sinners He loved God’s people – in the church But He wasn’t owned by the religious “norm”

What if we find ourselves not connected to ‘church’? What about “forsake not the assembling of yourselves together” – Heb 10:25 The church’s need of financial “security” accounts for some of the erroneous application of this verse A skewed definition helps to secure the income of some churches This is not to indict leaders or say that all are carnally motivated Many have just grown into this mindset by evolution of tradition Early church went from “house to house” and in the temple daily – Acts 2:46; 5:42 They went “breaking bread and eating with gladness and simplicity of heart” “Assembling together” is MUCH more than just meeting in the “temple” Early church norm seems to indicate that the 1st day of the week meetings were for celebration The giving of testimonies and rallying Real growth seemed to happen “house to house” – I Cor 14:26 In the house is where real exercising happens Exercise is what brings real growth “Strong meat is for those who by reason of use have their senses exercised” – Heb 5:14 Eating is necessary but doesn’t cause strengthening We can eat but not grow and even experience negative growth “You ought to be teachers…. but have come to need milk” -- Heb 5:12 Jesus said, “My meat is to DO the will of the Father” – Jn 4:34 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” – Jms 1:22 “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” – II Tim 3:7 Meet during the week – spontaneously and planned Not because you’re trying to build a ‘church’ but because you love each other Spur one another on Love one another and encourage in giftings Go on trips together to hear a fresh word from another group– cross pollination Sometimes we can become in-grown Some discomfort in church is allowed or maybe even God ordained It’s possible to get too comfortable in the nest Too much comfort makes us fat We don’t build spiritual muscle when we’re eating and sitting around God may allow thorns to help us go out Mother eagle pulls out soft things from the nest to encourage her eaglets to fly First century saints didn’t “Go ye therefore” So God ‘helped’ them in 70 AD – with Rome’s help It served God’s much larger picture of populating the world with Christianity God wasn’t mad – He just loved the world too much to let the saints cloister The world is waiting for us “All creation groans in eager expectation for the manifestation of the sons of God” -- Rms 8:19 Some might say, “But I need my feeding at church on Sunday!” Reality -- You’re spiritually richer than 98% of the world around you Your spiritual ‘bank accounts’ are full comparatively speaking Sure we have our problems and need help But the world is in far greater need and trouble Dwelling Place Ministries 11011 Olive St, Kansas City, MO 64131 Phone: (816) 943-8813 Email: [email protected] Web: www.dpmkc.org 3 God wants to be our life-source So we don’t have to be spoon fed by someone else

Shouldn’t I be “under authority”? If you’re asking this question, you probably don’t have a rebellion problem Babies need feeding, nurturing, security, and constant supervision Children need discipline and discipling Affirmation and preparing to be ready for a life on their own As we grow we need to be aggressive to find our own place of mission and growth Jesus said to his disciples after 3 yrs – “Go ye therefore and make disciples…” They were only 3 yrs old or younger in the Lord It was time to go Paul planted churches and left in 2 years and in one case, in 2 months It was time to let them grow on their own When Jesus’ disciples were dispersed their pastors didn’t go with them to ‘cover’ them They were under Holy Spirit’s covering They occasionally checked in with the Jerusalem counsel from time to time Not because they were mandated to But because of desire to bounce their new doctrines off of seasoned men “In the multitude of counselors there is safety” – Prov 11:14 Even Jesus at 12 yrs old Didn’t follow the earthly child/parent – submission/authority ‘norm’ “Don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business” – Lk 2:49 He wasn’t disobedient, he was following a heavenly norm or order Only two things are important to know 1. Are you an adult? (not under your father’s roof) 2. Is Jesus Lord of your life? If you answer yes to both then you have permission to “go ye therefore” What about, “Obey them that have the rule over you…. that they may do it with joy” - Heb 13:17 When we find ourselves under someone’s “roof” – make peace there This verse isn’t primarily a doctrine of being under authority – it’s a doctrine of making peace The scriptures are full of men and women pursuing major life quests They ventured out on their own to find their own life in God They didn’t take their pastors Most didn’t get their pastor’s permission Many were in opposition to the prevailing authority of the day Consider Moses, Gideon, David, John the Baptist, even Jesus….. They obeyed God as best they knew Some lived – some died Some made huge discoveries and some made big mistakes Heb 11 commends many of these men and women God calls their faith righteousness Spiritual leaders are for the equipping and preparing of the saints So that the saints can be released to go out and do the work of the ministry – Eph 4: 11-12 God wants us to grow up “…That we should no longer be children…..” – Eph 4:14 God wants a people who are strong (because of exercise), mature (wisdom) and eager “..till we all come…. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” – Eph 4:13 So what is our norm – what order should we follow? “..those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” – Rms 8:14

Dwelling Place Ministries 11011 Olive St, Kansas City, MO 64131 Phone: (816) 943-8813 Email: [email protected] Web: www.dpmkc.org